Hello, my lovely readers. Before I begin the chapter, I want to thanks evey single one of you for their support me and wishing me luck for my exam in both comments And my private inbox. You all have been very patient and understanding during this time. So Thank you so much for this. ♥️♥️
Vivian Flammery.
.
.
.
.
Like yesterday, when I open my eyes, I wake up in the same room, but this time I feel happy, not secret.
And just like yesterday, I find Daisy sleeping beside me. Her little hands are holding my arm; she is looking peaceful in her sleep.
She much have sneak in when I fell asleep last night.
I pick up my phone to see the time; it's just 5:30. It's very early, but I can't fall back to sleep.
Gabriel had given me my phone yesterday before leaving for work; apparently Phile had taken it when I left it on the bar counter that night.
Daisy's hands became tighter around my arm, and when I looked at her, she had a deep frown on her face and let out a little whimper.
Is she having a bad dream?
I turn on my side to face her; her hand leaves mine. I pull her close to me, and she puts her hand around me and burys her face into my neck. I start stroking the back of her head.
''It's okay, sweetheart, I am here.'' I whispered in her ears. Soon enough, she settles down and falls back to peaceful sleep. I keep stroking her hair until my own eyes start feeling heavy, and I fall asleep again.
I start to wake up again when I feel like someone is stroking my hair. At first, I thought I was dreaming, but it feels so nice to be dreaming, so I open my eyes.
Standing in front of me is none other than Gabriel, in all his glory, and just like yesterday, he is not wearing any shirt.
Was he watching me sleeping?
The thought of someone watching me while I sleep should creep me out, but then, Gabriel...if that makes sense.
''Good morning.'' I whispered for some reason.
''è adesso che vedo il tuo viso.'' His voice is raspy, and I felt my stomach tighten and a shiver run down my body when I heard him speaking in Italian.
(It is now that I see your face.)
It looks like someone has a new kink. My subconscious said it playfully.
Shut up. I scowl myself.
Yep, definitely going crazy now, talking to myself.
''You are lost in your head, Bellissima.''
I feel his fingers on my cheek. I am still lying on my back when he is leaning over me.
''I am sorry.'' I was embarrassed when I realized that he had been talking to me all this time.
''Don't be; I want to do it too.''
''Lost in your head?'' I ask.
''No lost in yours.'' There is his sweet word again. It's not the word, but the way he said it while looking deep into my eyes, like he could see my soul.
''What are you doing here?'' I ask in hope of changing the subject. It is too soon for me to handle both his sweet words and his naked body.
''It's 8 a.m.; it's time for her to wake up for school.'' He nodded toward Daisy.
I totally forgot she was sleeping beside me, even though she was clenching to me like Koala.
Of course, you forget; you are busy ogling her father. My subconscious teases me.
''Daisy, Princess, it's time to wake up.'' He tried, but she just clung to me more tightly.
''Come, baby, you have to go to school.'' She whimpered this time.
''Daisy...'' Gabriel tries again, and this time his voice is stern.
''No Daddy. I don't want to go.'' She said she had her face in my chest.
Gabriel sighed in frustration while I was trying to hold back my laugh. When he saw that, he glared at me playfully, and you could see the smile in his eyes.
''Help me here, would you?'' I giggled but nodded my head.
''Come on, little Angel, you have to wake up'' I whispered while stroking her hair.
''But I don't want to go.'' She whimpered again.
''But you have to go; come on, wake up now, or I will.... tickle you.'' With that, I started tickling her. Soon, the whole room fill with her laughter.
After making sure she wakes up, Gabriel walks out of the room.
''Can you help me get dressed, Vivi?''
''Of course, baby, but first go to your room and freshen up.'' With that, she ran out of the room.
I lay on my bed for a few seconds more before going into the bathroom and finishing my business there. When I stepped out, Daisy was there with her clothes in her hands.
I shake my head at her silly antics.
I hold her hand and take her to the kitchen, where Gabriel was cooking breakfast
His back was facing me, and I had a perfect view of his back muscle.
It's a fine view, a very fine view.
I bit my lips.
''You can come in Bellissima; did you sleep well?'' He said it without looking at me, and I couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed about getting caught staring at him.
''Yes, I slept well, thank you.''
''Vivi, can you drop me off at school with Daddy today?'' Daisy asked with her pappy eyes while sitting on the table.
I am telling you this girl knows how to blackmail someone.
''Angel I would love to, but I don't have the proper clothes to wear. Maybe next time.''
''Don't worry about the clothes, Bellissima. I had ordered you something; you will find it in your room after breakfast.''
What he order me cothes, why would he do that?
He much saw my confused face became started talking again.
''You really think I would let you walk out in just my clothes or that little dress you were wearing that night?'' He asks, raising his eyebrow.
Damn him I hate when people do it; the reason is became I can't.
''Come eat your breakfast.'' He ordered.
Today's breakfast is pancakes, waffles, scrambled eggs, and all kinds of toppings for pancakes and waffles.
I took the waffles and started eating.
This man can cook; these are the best waffles I ever had, just like the pancakes I had yesterday. As usual, Gabriel and I eat while Daisy talks, and I was helping her eat her breakfast.
We were almost finished eating when two men entered the kitchen. I recognized one of them from the club; he was the man who had pulled that man away from me.
''Good morning, boss, Miss.'' Both of them greet us. But never look at me or anywhere but there, boss.
''Marcus, you are here. We are going to drop Daisy off at school. Follow us in another car." Gabriel ordered them the warmth that he had gone completely.
"Yes, Boss."
They leave us after that.
''Gabriel, why do they have to follow us?'' I ask in confusion.
''I am a businessman, Bellissima; I have people who don't like me; it's just for protection; don't worry about it.'' When I still look inconvenienced, he pulls my chair closer.
''Hey, I said don't worry, Vivian. Why don't you go and change your clothes? We need to leave soon.'' He said that and kissed my forehead.
The first kiss of the day I swear, in the short time I knew this man, he had kissed me more times than I had been kiss in my whole life.
I just nodded and went to the room to change my clothes. I see a few bags on the bed and look inside them; there are black jeans, a black turtleneck top, and a white coat.
I blushed when I saw the black lingerie sets. I decided not to think too much and just wear them.
I had to say it. I look good in them, even hot if I dare say it.
I walk out of the room and go downstairs, where I meet them both. Daisy notices me first and leaves her father's hand to come running toward me. I pick her up and notice Gabriel looking at me. I walk to him with Daisy in my arms.
''Hey.'' I whispered for some reason, maybe because of the intensity of his eyes.
''Hey there.'' He put my hair behind my ears.
''You are looking gorgeous." I blush, I hate myself for how easily he can make me blush.
''Come on, let's go.'' He said and take Daisy from my arms when she raised her hands towards him and balanced her on his one arm while his second hand touched the small of my back. On the short journey to his car, his arm stayed on my back, making me feel warm all over my body.
I don't know much about cars, but this one is shiny and luxurious, and like a gentleman, he opened my door to help me in. I took Daisy from his arm and set her beside me while he went around the other side of the car, opened the door, and sat down. Daisy is sitting between us.
We start driving, and Daisy is telling her dad all kinds of things. I don't know where her energy is coming from; she was dead sleepy just an hour ago.
We reach her school in a few minutes.
The school is big, expensive, and obviously a private school.
I get out of the car and pick up Daisy, who wraps her hands around me. Gabriel comes to my side, and we walk inside.
It looks like people already know him
because, as soon as we enter, everyone is looking at him. All the eyes make me a little uncomfortable, but I feel Gabriel's hand on the small of my back, making all of the worry go away. I look at him, and he gives me a small smile, which I return.
A lady approached us.
"Good morning, Mr. Armstrong.''
"Morning, Mrs. Smith."
"I would like you to meet Vivian Flammery; she will be the one to pick up and drop off Daisy from now on."
"Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Flammery."
I shake her hand while I balance Daisy in one arm, who is playing with my hair.
Gabriel took her from my arms and kissed her cheek before making her stand on her feet.
"Now, princess, go and have a great day, alright?" He bent to his knees and kiss her cheek.
"Bye, daddy." She said that and turned to me for a hug. I bent on my knees too and hugged her. She hugged me back and turned to hug her father last time before taking Mrs. Smith's hand and going inside her class.
He looked at her until she disappeared inside.
I can still feel the eyes on us. He held my hand and started walking, ignoring everyone. Soon enough, we are sitting in the car.
"So, when are you moving in with Daisy and me?" He ask.
I look at him and think about what I had to do before starting the new job, and the first thing I had to do was go to the bakery and inform him about my leaving.
"I had to pack my bags, and then I also had to go to the bakery to tell them about my leaving."
"It can all be done by tomorrow." By hearing him, my eyes became wide.
"But how will I shift all my stuff into your house so fast?" I said it in shock.
"I will arrange everything; just pack your clothes and what you think is necessary." He gave my hand a little squeeze.
"Okay." I am still nervous about how fast all of this is happening, but I can't refuse him for some reason, and I also had to tell Moly about my moving into Gabriel's house.
The car stopped outside my apartment building, and he once again opened the door for me. He holds my hand, and we start walking inside the building. We reach my floor, and I stop walking.
I feel an electric shock from where his hand touched mine; it's sending shivers all over my body.
"I will be fine going alone from here; thank you for dropping me." I said I want to take my hand from his because I felt my whole body burning from his touch.
"I will not leave until I see you safe inside." He said stubborn as ever.
He walked me to my apartment door and turned to face me.
"Bellissima I want to talk to you about something." Because of our height difference, I had to tilt my head back to look into his eyes.
"Yes?"
"I will leave one of my men to look after you until you come to live with me." I look at him like a fish out of water.
"What? You can't be serious." Shock of what hr just said.
"I am very serious, Bellissima." He said it firmly.
"But why?" I asked, confused, why he needed to do that.
"Because, Bellissima, I told you before that there are people who don't like me, and I will not be able to concentrate on my work knowing you are alone here."
"But..." Before I can talk further, he steps closer and puts his finger on my lips.
"Shhh, I will tell you everything when the right time comes, but for now, please don't ask questions." He is so close that I can feel his breath on my face and his body heat through our clothes.
"I just want you to be safe, and my men will make sure you are." I think he know the affects he had on me because his voice become so deep that I stop breathing.
"Why are you doing this?" I whispered although I forget what we are talking about.
"Because, Bellissima, you are important for me." He whispered in my ear and kissed the spot behind it, making me shiver and feel tingling all over my body.
"I mean, you are important for Daisy."
He steps away and the spell broke down, i came back to earth and take a deep breath. He is looking into my eyes and removes his finger from my lips and carries my face with the back of his hand.
I close my eyes and let myself feel his touche.
"Okay'' he whispered.
"Okay." I open my eyes and agreed. I wanted to argue about this, but the worry on his face stopped me. A smile took over his face and brightened his whole face.
He steps closer again and kisses my forehead. His lips linger on my forehead a little longer than necessary, but I am not complaining.
"Thank you, Bellissima." He said.
"Pack whatever you think is necessary; I will pick you up tomorrow, and don't worry about the men; you won't even notice him, of course, not until he needs to be noticed."
"Okay." I said I was still not convinced about this bodyguard thing but didn't say anything.
He gave me one last smile before turning around and leaving.
I was standing there thinking about how in a single week my whole life changed, and now I am living a completely different life.
The most surprising thing is how easy it was for him to become a part of my life, and Daisy, that little Angle. Her little hands stole my heart, and her little feet ran away with it, and I couldn't do anything but watch her do it.
I open the door and walk inside the apartment with hundreds of thoughts running through my head.
I walk into my room and remove the coat, carefully setting it on the bed; it's really looking expensive, before pulling out my bags from under the bed.
If I am leaving tomorrow, then I may as well start packing my clothes. I thought and sighed.
I took my clothes and my other belongings, like my books and photos. I was in the middle of putting the photo albums in the bag when my phone rang, and I saw Moly's name on the screen.
''Hey bitch." I laugh at her way of greeting.
"Hii, Moly What a nice way to greet your best friend."
"Oh, come on, tell me, are you with your prince charming?" She ask in playful tone.
"No, actually, I am in our apartment. Are you in the bakery?"
"Yes, are you coming here?" I tell her. After a few seconds, we said our goodbyes and hung up the phone.
I decided to call Mr.Paul, the bakery owner, to tell him about my leaving the job; I did not want to talk to Sam. I am ignoring him as much as I can, not wanted to create unwanted scene. I dialed his number.
"Hello, Mr. Paul. It's me, Vivian." I said as soon as he picked up.
"Hello, dear, How are you?" His voice is gentle, like always.
"I am fine, sir; actually, I want to talk to you about my job." I tell him about my leaving the job.
"Is there any specific reason you are leaving, dear?" He asks, and I can hear concern in his voice.
"No, I just decided that it was time I changed my job."
"Okay, dear, I hope for the best in your life. I will transfer the money to your bank account for the days you work in the bakery this month." He said.
"Thank you so much for your understanding, sir." We said our goodbyes, and I hung up.
I take the coat and wear it before walking out of the house, when I remember the men who will follow me.
I look around, but there is no one.
I don't know how I feel about this arrangement or why I need a bodyguard in first place, but like I said, I find it hard to say no to Gabriel.
I step out of the building, and there is no one. It looks like Gabriel was not lying when he said I would not even notice he was there.
I started walking toward the bakery and soon reached the entrance.
Moly is busy with customers, so she just gave me a small wave and gestured for me to go back, and that's what I did.
In a few minutes, the door opened, and she ran to me and hugged me. I hugged her back.
"Damn, I miss your pretty ass." She hugged me tightly before letting me go.
"I will take my break, then you can tell me what happened, okay?" She said to start walking outside, and I followed her.
We come to the front of the bakery, and there she tells the other workers to cover for her.
We decided to go to the park nearby.
We set on the bench there, and I tell her everything that happened in the club, about that man, and how I met Gabriel afterwards.
She was angry and blame herself for leaving me there alone but I told her I was okay. After making sure she was claim enough I decided to tell her that I would be moving out tomorrow.
"Moly I have to tell you something else too."
"Okay, what is it?" She frown.
"I will be moving out tomorrow."
Her mouth was open and her eyes wide.
"Wow. I know this will happen, but I don't know it will happen this fast." She said that and shook her head in shock at what she just heard.
"I know."
"Are you okay with that?" I did not want to make her sad; we had always been together since high school. She is a big part of my life.
"Of course, I am alright as long as you are happy, and beside that, I want you to stay far away from that creepy man we call our manager." She said it, making a face in disgust.
"Damn, I must say I have met many creeps in my life." I laughed, and she just shook her head.
"Well, if you are moving out and you need some extra pair of hands to help, then count me in, and ohhh... I will have the chance to meet your hot boss again." She winked. I know she was joking, but I felt a little pinch of jealousy for some reason.
Come on, Vivian, you have no reason to be jealous. He just your boss. I tell myself.
Are you sure about that darling. My subconscious ask me.
I laugh at my own thoughts and shake my head, and we start laughing together.
After some time, we decided to go back to the bakery; her break was almost over.
When we step back into the bakery, we meet Sam standing by the counter with a frown on his face.
"Why are you not working?" He asked in an angry voice.
What is his problem?
"Because I take my break." Moly replied, annoyed.
"I am not talking to you." He said that and glared in my direction. I frown. I will not take his shit anymore.
"I will not be working here anymore." I said confidentiality.
"And who deiced that?"
"I already told your father that because I work for him, not for you, I just come here to take my stuff so I can leave." I said it in a farm voice.
An angry look crosses his face, and he takes angry streaks towards me, but before he can reach me, a man steps in front of me.
"Move out of my way." I heard Sam growl, but it didn't affect the man in front of me.
We catch a few customers attention, and they are looking toward us.
Great, that is what I needs, to create a scene in the middle of the bakery.
"I have to ask you to move back." The man said his voice was as hard as steel, but it sounds familiar.
"And what are you going to do if I don't?"
Sam should do as the man said because the men in front of me has more muscles on him.
"I have my orders from the boss to not let anyone near her and make sure no one touches her; that means including you, so back off or I will make you." His voice sounds as hard as rock. I feel a hand on my arm and look to my right to see Moly there, giving me a questioning look.
I shook my head and shrugged my shoulders to let her know that I had no idea what was going on.
I look around and yep, definitely making scane, people are still looking and wishpering and looking at the man in front of me. I still can't see his face. I tap on his shoulder, and he turns to look at me.
I recognize him; I think his name is Marcus. He was the man who helped me in the club, and the one Gabriel told to follow us to the school.
"Are you okay, Miss?" He asked me. I just nodded.
"Please go and collect your stuff, Miss. I will drive you to your apartment when you are done." Before I can answer, Moly grabs my hand and pulls me towards the staffroom, where my locker is.
"What the fuck just happened? Do you know him?" She asked me.
"Yeah, Gabriel lafts him to make sure I am alright." Now that I've said it out loud, it sounds like he is my babysitter.
"Wow, so you are Daisy's babysitter, and you have your own bodyguard. Okay, now you have to tell me where to fine a man like him for myself, who sent a bodyguard for their woman." She said it in a playful voice.
"I am not his woman; he is just my boss." I said, but the blush covered my face.
"I will ask some questions again in the future, and believe me, your answer will be a different one than this." She said she would start helping me.
I take my belongings quickly and walk outside with Moly.
Marcus and Sam are still glaring at each other. I turn to Moly, and she waves me goodbye and tells me she will meet me at home.
I walk toward Marcus and stand by his side. Sam's glare directions turn to me.
"Come on, let's go." I ignored him and talked to Marcus, and he started walking with me after glaring at Sam one last time.
"Who was he?" He asked me.
"He is Sam, the manager and son of the owner of Treat and Sweet."
"Your manager is a piece of work, and he seems like a douchbag, if you don't mind me saying so." He said it with a deep frown on his face. The distasteful look on his face made me chuckle.
"Believe me, I know." I said this when I remembered what happened last week.
We walk toward a shining black car, and he opens the back door for me. I get in, and he closes the door behind me.
He takes the driver seat, and we start driving.
"Where do you want to go, miss?" He asked, looking in the rear mirror.
"Just take me to my apartment, please." He nodded and started driving towards the apartment building. He drives in silence, but it is not uncomfortable while I look outside.
"How long do you work for Gabriel?" I ask.
"A while, miss."
"How is it? Working for him."
"It's an honor to work for him, miss. When it comes to work, he is very strict but also very generous and looks after the people who work for him." He answers, and I can hear the respect in his voice when he talks about him.
"That's nice." I said and smiled. Knowing he is a good boss is making me feel more comfortable.
We reach the apartment building, and he opens my door again. He starts walking with me, and I turn to face him when we reach the building door.
"It's okay, Marcus. You don't have to walk me inside; I can go from here." I said I did not want to trouble him anymore, then I already did.
"Miss, Mr. Armstrong asked me to make sure you are okay and safe before I leave. I will walk you to your apartment and wait until you are safe inside." I didn't argue with him, knowing he would not listen.
We walk inside and take the elevator.
When we reach my apartment door, I turn to him.
"Thank you for both your help in the bakery and dropping me here."
"It's my job, miss," he said with an emotionless face. I sighed and nodded my head.
He made sure I was inside the apartment before leaving. I lean against the door and close my eyes.
Really, my life took a huge turn when I met Daisy and Gabriel, and I was all but ready to know what would happen next.
________________________
________
Hey guys, I am back. I hope you like this chapter. Please vote and leave a comment to let me know what you think of the story so far.
And I like to say think you to everyone who sent me a massage to wishing me happen birthday. Just wanted to let you know that I love you all.
Please stay safe And enjoy your day. The next chapter will be up soon.
Ciao. ♥️